Program Outline | MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences

The MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences makes the most of your time at Pacific University School of Pharmacy by balancing the efficient delivery of didactic coursework with a heavy hands-on experiential research component in the lab. 

First Year Courses: August-July (credits)

  • Fall PHRM500: Pharmacy Foundations (10)
  • Fall PHRM524: Pharmaceutics & Biopharmaceutics (5.5)
  • Fall PHRM532: Personal & Professional Development I (2)
  • Fall PHRM801: Research Elective (1)
  • Fall PHRM803: Scientific Communication I (1)
  • Spring PHRM523: Pharmacokinetics (3)
  • Spring PHRM801: Research Elective (7)
  • Spring PHRM802: Advanced Topics (1)
  • Spring PHRM804: Scientific Communication II (1)
  • Summer PHRM759: Independent Study (6)

Second Year Courses: August-May (credits)

  • Fall PHRM800: Research Seminar (1)
  • Fall PHRM801: Research Elective (7)
  • Fall PHRM805: Thesis (2)
  • Spring PHRM800: Research Seminar (1)
  • Spring PHRM801: Research Elective (6)
  • Spring PHRM805: Thesis (2)

A downloadable version of our curriculum can also be accessed here.

Research Themes

  • Drug Discovery
  • Drug Metabolism
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacokinetics
  • Pharmacology
  • Medicinal Chemistry
  • Natural Products
  • Toxicology

One-Year Curriculum for Students with Advanced Clinical- or Science-Based Degrees

The School of Pharmacy offers an accelerated one-year degree program for those students who have already earned post-graduate degrees with significant curricular overlap with our MS program (e.g. PharmD or equivalent). This option is handled on a case-by-case basis through a comprehensive review of student transcripts to determine an appropriate transfer of credits.  Please contact the program director for additional information.


PharmD/MS Joint Degree Program Option

In addition to the standalone MS program, the PharmD/MS joint degree program was designed for students interested in pairing the research-focused MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences degree with a clinical doctorate. The MS degree integrates with your predetermined PharmD coursework and is aimed at training researcher-clinicians for the ever-evolving role of pharmacists within the healthcare workforce.

Contact Us

Sigrid Roberts, PhD | Associate Dean for Pharmaceutical Sciences
503-352-7289 | sroberts@pacificu.edu